No, Samsung Did Not Pay The Apple Patent Penalty In 5c Coins

There seems to be a misunderstanding here, everyone. There’s a story going round that Samsung paid the $US1.05 billion penalty set by a US court for copying Apple gear by carting 30 truckloads of five-cent coins to 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino today. Let’s stop talking about this right now. Set course for using our common sense, warp factor 11…engage!.

That’s right. The fun fact you may have been parading around the office this morning is a hoax, purported by a site very similar to The Onion.

The site where the reports originated is called El Deforma and it’s a satirical news site based in Mexico.

Here’s the fake report (translated via Google):

This morning came more than 30 trucks filled with coins of 5 cents to the headquarters of Apple in California , in a home security company that protects the facility and said it was diverted in the wrong place, but minutes Later, Tim Cook (Apple CEO) received a similar call from her and explaining that Samsung pay them a trillion dollars for the fine to the court recently ruled against the South Korean company.

In the words of many experts, the signed document does not specify a single payment mode, so Samsung is entitled to send him to the creators of the iPhone its billions of dollars as they deem best.

By the power vested in me as Gizmodo Australia’s editor, I give you permission to laugh brazenly in the faces of anyone caught reporting this story as real news. Short of that, just encourage them to apply common sense to the situation.

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Discuss

I was stupidly sceptical when posts like these popped up on 9gag and facebook, for one I don't think Samsung would even have the cheque book at the ready, what with the appeal and all. Their lawyers would probably like that just as much.

Thought as much. I'd be surprised if there was $1B worth of 5c coins in circulation, let alone $1B worth available at a drop of a hat to send from 1 point to another physical location. Also, without massive amounts of security... and to a non payment processing facility. It never added up or made cents. :P

1Billion in 5c pieces... hard to steal
When I heard it, I wondered if the US had a law about how many coins could be used in a transaction - and came across this article on Snopes - http://www.snopes.com/business/money/pennies.asp
Especially given Australia has the Section 14 of the Currency Act 1965 (CW)

(1) A tender of payment of money is a legal tender if it is made in coins that are made and issued under this Act and are of current weight:
(a) in the case of coins of the denomination of Five cents, Ten cents, Twenty cents or Fifty cents or coins of 2 or more of those denominations--for payment of an amount not exceeding $5 but for no greater amount;

But I'm sure I've paid more than $5 in 50 cent coins, so depends on receiver.

I could be wrong but with some pretty quick rough calculations (im at work) using the Australian 5c pieces weight it would take somewhere around 583 trucks and that doesn't factor in the dimensions of the coins, just weight alone.

Even though I'm on apples side in this case, it'd be classic if they did pull off a stunt like this. To be more realistic though, they could churn out a billion $1 cheques or something along that line. If they have a sense of humor they'd do it. Everyone in the world would laugh their arses off. Everyone except those at 1 infinite loop that is.

A US 5c nickel actually costs 11c to produce, so it is a highly wasteful denomination of currency. For that reason alone I would doubt this story. Samsung would actually be giving a lot more than 1billion to Apple,in actual metal values, and I doubt they'd be wanting to do that.

LO'L -LO'L.............. still laughing using common sense hahahahahaha, but it's really an applicable if Samsung tries once earlier than Onion flashes it out hahahahaha ( to laugh no boundary at all )

Damn, I wanted this to be true, I'm sick and tired of Apple always beating down innovation, would be nice to see Samsung fight back--- I do hope this encourages some sort of 'unique' re-payment plan to occur, why not do trucks of actual 1 dollar bills -- or mix it up a little 1s 5s and 10s --wouldn't take as many trucks but would still be a pain in the arse.